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Book Birthday Party, Day Two: Author Julie Lessman

What it's day two already?! Wow, time sure does fly when you're having fun. Miss out on day one 's action? Go here to keep the party going with Laura and enter the giveaway. Today I'm so pleased to introduce one of my very first blog guests and friend the talented Julie Lessman. Please welcome her and feel free to leave comments on the excerpt that she's chosen to share. I'm sure Miss Julie will be stopping by all day long even though she's a super-busy lady.

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A Heart Revealed (Winds of Change Book 2) born September 1, 2011, to Julie Lessman and Revell Books

Her heart is tied to a youthful vow . . . but can true love set it free?Ten years ago, Emma Malloy fled Dublin for Boston, escaping the husband who scarred her beautiful face. The physical and emotional wounds have faded with time, and her life is finally full of purpose and free from the pain of her past. But when she falls for her friend Charity's handsome and charming brother, Sean O'Connor, fear and shame threaten to destroy her. Could Sean and Emma ever have a future together? Or is Emma doomed to live out the rest of her life denying the only true love she's ever known?

Filled with intense passion and longing, deception and revelation, A Heart Revealed will hold you in its grip until the very last page.

He turned to go, and her heart caught in her throat. It took every shred of her will to keep her voice humble. “Luke, wait, please—can’t we talk before you go?”

A muscle tightened in his broad back while he stood at the door, head bowed and hand on the knob. “No. I’m not ready yet—I still have frustrations to vent.” He opened it t

o leave, and her humility died an ugly death.

With a harsh gasp, she flew across the room and slammed the door, blocking his way. “No need to duke it out at the gym, McGee,” she snapped, “I’ll give you a good fight right here.”

He jerked her aside. “Get out of my way, Katie, we’ll talk when I’m good and ready.”

“No,” she said, shoving him back, “we’re going to talk now.”

He leaned in, eyes flashing. “Get this straight, Katie Rose, and get it good—you don’t run this household and you don’t run my life.”

“Our life!” she hissed, tears pooling against her will. She battled the quiver of her lip with a thrust of her chin. “We’re one, whether you like it or not. In God’s eyes, if not in yours.”

“One flesh, Katie, but two wills. What you did . . .” he shook his head, eyes naked with pain and voice hard, “wounded me. You’re my wife, my family, the one I should trust . . .”

Her throat constricted. “You can trust me, Luke, I promise. I won’t ever do this again.”

Fatigue shadowed his features as he tightened his grip on his bag. “No, Katie, you won’t. Because if you do, you’ll jeopardize our marriage more than you know.” He opened the door. “We’ll talk later, when my anger’s under control, but for now, I’m leaving.”

“Well, that makes t

wo of us then,” she whispered. “When you get back, Kit and I will be gone.” A sob rose in her throat as she ran down the hall, tears streaming. She heard the front door slam, but ignored it, hauling her suitcase from the bedroom closet and thrusting it on their bed. Hands shaking, she opened her dresser drawer and snatched an armful of clothes.

“What the devil are you doing?” he asked from the doorway, his tone taut.

She continued to pack.

He strode forward and hurled his duffel onto the floor, the sting of a curse sizzling the air. “I said, what are you doing, Katie?”

Yanking more clothes from the drawer, she flung them into the bag, facing him with fire in her eyes. “You refuse to talk? Fine. I refuse to stay. I won’t live in silence, Luke McGee, no matter how angry you are. We’ll stay at my parents’” She turned away to retrieve her toiletries from her vanity.

“You’re not going anywhere—”

She spun around. “No? Well, to borrow a phrase—you don’t run my life.”

Jaw ground tight, he seized her suitcase and dumped it out before pitching it on the floor.

Muscled arms to his hips, he gave her a thin smile. “Yeah? Well, you wouldn’t exactly make it past the pearly gates, you little brat.” He scooped up a skirt and tossed it at her. “Put your clothes away.”

He headed for the door, and she jerked the suitcase onto the bed once again to repack her clothes.

She singed him with a scathing look, her whisper harsh. “This isn’t the BCAS, you brainless Neanderthal—you can’t order me around.”

In two powerful strides he had her suitcase upended again and clothes toppled in another unsightly heap. He launched the bag on the bed. His voice was a threat edged with a hard smile. “Sure I can, Katie—I’m bigger than you. I suggest you put the clothes away—now.”

She reared up to kick him, but he was too fast and deflected her with an innocent parry that toppled her back on the bed. He slacked a leg, hands parked low on his hips. “You’re a handful, Katie Rose, but so help me, I will wear the pants in this family or die trying.”

Katie gritted her teeth, anger hissing through every syllable. “Now that’s the best idea you’ve had yet, you overgrown ape—croak away!” Her lip curled in a sneer that belied the tears in her eyes. “And you were going to make me the ‘happiest woman alive’—HA!”

~Please visit Julie @ her website and be sure to check out her "Journal Jots," you can usually find a pretty juicy excerpt or news about Julie!

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Giveaway: Enter to win your choice of any one of Julie's books including the newly released A Heart Revealed, book 2 in the Winds of Change series.

~To be entered simply fill out the form below. YOU MUST DO THIS OR YOU WON'T BE ENTERED! US Residents only, ages 13 and up. Void where prohibited. Closes for entries 9/11/11 @12:01 AM

~For 2 extra entries leave a comment for Julie asking about any of her books or just to simply say hi! Be sure to leave your first name and last initial in your comment so I can match it up with your form entry.

Julie~I have read all of your previous books and have loved everyone of them, but my absolute favorite is 'A Passion Redeemed'. I would LOVE to win a copy of 'A Heart Revealed'! This is a story that I have been wanting to read every since the first meeting between Sean and Emma - I just knew there was a love story in the making. Thanks for the opportunity.

Great excerpt, Julie :) Glad to see the fireworks are still exploding in the McGee household! Not that I like to see dissension but I so love that you stay true to your characters' personalities in subsequent books ~ they never lose their colour and vibrancy ~ you are very unique in that way :)

Oh. my. GOODNESS!!! That excerpt was JUICY!! Glad to see Katie (& Luke) still have that SPARK!! CanNOT wait to get this book & read it!! From what I hear it's just as good as (if not better than - if that's possible) your other books, and the anticipation is KILLING me!! You are amazing, and one amazingly gifted author!

Renee, lady, you are fabulous :D Thanks for diong this, I'm so glad I got here. THis is the first week of school for me, I moved in yesterday. I think it'll be a better year. No more depressed Hannah, let's hope! Hahaha! Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaappy Birthday!!!!!!!!!!!! I'll be back ; )Hannah C.

Ooooooo, MELANIE!!! Just the type of person I am looking for -- someone who has never read my books before. We are definitely going to have to remedy that, my friend, and do I have a deal for you!!

First, you may want to check out the first book in this series, A Hope Undaunted, which is NOW FREE on Amazon Kindle and B&N Nook for a limited time. Can be downloaded on PCs, Macs, Droids, etc., so try it out to see if you like my "passionate" style and then if you do, please pass the word!!

And, if you don't win in this contest, check out my website calendar for other giveaways as well, okay? GOOD LUCK!!

MEGAN!!! You are bound to win a book one of these blogs, my friend, so thanks for your perseverance!! You particularly need to read A Heart Revealed because you will not believe Mitch's stubbornness in Charity and Mitch's sub story, so GOOD LUCK in this contest!

REBECCA!!! I did tell you about the FREE download of book 1 in this series, didn't I?? A Hope Undaunted is NOW FREE on Amazon Kindle and B&N Nook for a limited time. Can be downloaded on PCs, Macs, Droids, etc., so check out my passionate writing style with that book and if you like it, please pass the word!! Then good luck in this contest, sweetie, as well.

ERICA!!! That "squee" made me laugh, and honey, I sure needed that today BIG TIME, so thank you for that and your kind words AND your friendship. SOOO appreciated. And I can't wait to see you too, my friend.

CHARITY!!! I am SO glad you enjoyed the book, and I cannot wait to see the review, my friend. Good luck in this contest because if you win, we can award you with any of the other books, okay? Thank you for your support, you sweet thing.

MELISSA ... YA THINK??? I'm meeting myself coming and going this week, but it's mostly all good stuff, so that's okay. And talk about "busy," you've been making the rounds too, girl, which is a very good way to win a book or two, so good luck in the contest, my friend.

REL ... :) Yep, the McGee household is one of my favorite places to write about because Luke and Katie are like a match and a sparkler, putting on quite a show ... both in their arguments and their love scenes. :)

ATTENTION ALL COMMENTERS: You may want to check out Relz Reviews (the link is on my website calendar or you can just Google it) for a chance to win one of my books and to vote on your favorite O'Connor hero and see pix of who I picture to play the parts of Sean and Emma.

LAURA H!!! This is your lucky day, girl, because book one in this series, A Hope Undaunted, is NOW FREE on Amazon Kindle and B&N Nook for a limited time. Can be downloaded on PCs, Macs, Droids, etc., so try it out to see if you like my "passionate" style and then if you do, please pass the word!! Then good luck in this contest, as well.

ALLI!!! LOL ... you should see the second half of that scene, my friend, which I had to cut off because it was too long of an excerpt. Trust me, Luke and Katie have more sparks in this book than a Bic lighter ... :) Can't wait till you get the chance to read it!!! Good luck in the contest and I hope your book comes soon ... :)

HANNAH!!! It is SO good to see you back, my friend, that bouncy personality jumping all over the place. I've missed you, sweetie, but glad things are on the upswing and I am praying it is your best year yet. Good luck in the contest and here's to a win!

TERRIE ... BLESS YOU, girl, and thank you for downloading AHU. It's my fav of all the books I've written, so I am thrilled you liked it too. Now we just have to get the next one into your hot, little hands, right? Here's to a win for A Heart Revealed!!

LAUREN, THANK YOU SOOO MUCH, my friend, for your kind comment, and YES, A Heart Revealed is the next book in the series where Emma and Sean get their chance at love. I hope you enjoy it. Good luck in the contest, sweetie.

WORD OF WARNING TO COMMENTERS: Someone posted a 2-star review on Amazon that divulges the surprise ending, so PLEASE do not read it if you want to be surprised. And any one who wants to protest it to Amazon, I would be most grateful.

MARISSA, thank you SOOO much for your sweet comment -- I cannot tell you how much it means to me, especially since today has been a little rough in the review department. Someone posted a 2-star review on Amazon that divulges the surprise ending, so PLEASE do not read it if you want to be surprised, okay?

Thanks ladies for all the great comments! Didn't you just LOVE that excerpt? I can't wait to find the time to read my own copy!!! Best of luck to all of you who entered.

Melanie- Girl you just HAVE to read Julie's books, you won't be disappointed.

Michelle- Thanks for entering! Glad to see more "Julie" fans!

Megan- I'm sure this is going to be a great story. I'm like you, can't wait to read it.

Rebecca- There's a link on my sidebar if you don't already have the first book in this series. Also you might be able to find her books in your library or they might be able to request them. :-)

Erica- SQUEE!!! ;-)

Charity- Thanks for grabbing the button, you have the extra entries as does everyone else who "grabbed" the button before the 4th.

Laura- Jealous of everyone who's going to St. Lois. Have fun!

Melissa J.- So glad you could stop by.

Rel- HI! Glad to see you my Aussie friend. Thnx for the b-day love!

Laura- Julie is the queen of passion in all things including arguments! LOL!

Alli- I'm sure this is going to be the best book yet too!

Hannah- Hey stranger! So glad to see you. Best wishes with the new school year. I hate Blogger too sometimes. I was flipping out on Monday since my sidebar disappeared but new twitter friend Bonnie C. helped me out. :-)

Terrie- So glad that you liked A Hope Undaunted. :-)

Jackie S. Love the word "muchly" I might have to use that. :-P

Lauren- There's going to be a third one too!!!

Melanie- Thank you for the award.

Marissa- I have the feeling it's going to be the highlight of my year too.

RENEE ANN!!! Sooo good to see you here, sweetie, and yes, you should be able to buy it ACFW. Have you read the prior book, A Hope Undaunted? Because if not, it is FREE right now on Amazon Kindle and B&N Nook for a limited time. Can be downloaded on PCs, Macs, Droids, etc.

And I LOVE old movies, which is probably why there is that feel about my books like you are watching a movie because that is how I see it in my head. Good luck in the contest, sweetie.

Oh my goodness, that's quite the excerpt! I love how eventhough this book is about Sean and Emma, we still get to find out what's going on with the rest of the family. I hope I win! I dying to read this book. :)

Hey, SARA ... you should see the REST of the scene, girl!! :) And you will, I hope, when you win the book. BUT ... if you don't win here, be sure to check out my website calendar for other opportunities, okay? Good luck, my friend, and THANK YOU!!

I'm late, too, but just had to stop by and say HI!! to Julie. How are you? Busy, busy I'm sure :)

The pins and needles have gotten really uncomfortable...it seems like I've been waiting *forever* to read Sean and Emma's story! As hard as it was, I hurried past the excerpt, because I don't want to have any idea what's going on when I do finally get my hands on this book. *squeeeee*

I haven't read any of Mrs. Lessman's novels, but I am so eager to read one! My question is this--do I need to read the Daughters of Boston series before I read the Winds of Change?? I really want to do it in the correct order :)

Oh, I can't wait to read A Heart Revealed!! I have it sitting in my cart at Amazon right now. I've got to add some party supplies(for Grasshopper) before I order. I'm very much looking forward to having it beside the other 4! :)

ANNIE ... you're making the rounds, girlfriend, telling everyone that you liked AHR, so THANK YOU!! If you're in to posting reviews, just slap a couple of lines on Amazon.com and CBD.com or anywhere else, and you'll rack up points in my newsletter contest to have a character named after you in the next book, a signed copy of Steven's story and a $50 gift card!! Just send me the links, and I'll record it, sweetie.

Oh, and Relz Review has a poll going on now to vote for your favorite Julie Lessman hero and Luke McGee has blown Collin out of the water, so if you want in, go to Relz Review, vote, then scroll down and leave a comment and Rel's update comment will tell you the numbers. Here's the link or you can just Google Relz Reviews:

LORI!!! Girl, I have missed you SO much!! Where the heck have you been anyway??

And, yeah, it does seem like "forever" for AHR, and the fact that it's been late on delivery to some of the retailers doesn't help, but it should be shipping from Amazon and CBD by next week, God willing!

Can't wait to see what you think. I'm hoping I can score a little higher than AHU, which I know wasn't a top fav of yours. Fingers crossed ... :)

JOY ... you are always one of those gals that I can't wait to have read it, my friend, because I think our taste is very similar, so I'm really anxious to see what you think.

REALLY looking forward to coming to your blog at the end of the month, so everybody PLEASE check my website calendar for the date and link, okay?

Oh, and Relz Review has a poll going on now to vote for your favorite Julie Lessman hero and Luke McGee has blown Collin out of the water, so if you want in, go to Relz Review, vote, then scroll down and leave a comment and Rel's update comment will tell you the numbers. Here's the link or you can just Google Relz Reviews. Just scroll down till you see the Character Spotlight on Emma Sean:

BETH!!! Oh, girl, you are JUST the type of reader I am looking for -- one who is anxious to read one of my books and hasn't yet!!

If at all possible, you want to start with book 1 in The Daughters of Boston series, A Passion Most Pure, which won American Christian Fiction Writers Debut Book of the Year for 2009. The reason is because this is a family saga that is best read in order due to a number of big surprises in book 1.

BUT ... that said, right now book 1 in the Winds of Change series, A Hope Undaunted (the book before the one featured in today's blog, A Heart Revealed) is NOW FREE on Amazon Kindle and B&N Nook for a limited time. Can be downloaded on PCs, Macs, Droids, etc., so you can read it first if that works better, but you just won't be as surprised if you read APMP. So check out my passionate writing style with the free download if you want and if you like it, please pass the word!! Then good luck in this contest, sweetie, as well.

TRACY ... if you haven't read any of my books, I want you to know that Book 1 in this series, A Hope Undaunted, is NOW FREE as an e-book on CBD.com, Amazon Kindle, Sony e-reader and B&N Nook for a limited time, all of which you can download on PCs, Macs, Droids, i-pads, i-phones, etc., so I hope you will. Just go to Amazon, CBD, B&N, Sony and type in A Hope Undaunted, then click on the e-book. Won’t cost you a dime. :) That way you can read one of my books free to see if you like my style, then if you do, PLEASE pass the word, okay?

MELISSA, YAY!!!!!! Is this the first of my books you are reading, I hope? Because you did good, girl, going with APMP first due to several big surprises in this first book. Can't wait to see what you think, so let me know if you like it, okay? And as I am fond of saying, if you don't ... uh, never mind! :)

Happy Reading and GOOD LUCK in this contest. AND if you haven't read the first book in the 2nd series (which is just a continuation of the O'Connor saga, A Hope Undaunted), please note that it is NOW FREE as an e-book on CBD.com, Amazon Kindle, Sony e-reader and B&N Nook for a limited time, all of which you can download on PCs, Macs, Droids, i-pads, i-phones, etc., so I hope you will. Just go to Amazon, CBD, B&N, Sony and type in A Hope Undaunted, then click on the e-book. Won’t cost you a dime. :)

Wow, this excerpt really showcases Luke and Katie's strong personalities. I love reading your stories. The way the characters interact. It's full of passion and emotion. Thank you for your wonderful stories. Cynthia C.

Aw, LORI, I know that, truly I do or I couldn't tease you about it! :) And good for you and hubby, joining a gym -- SO good for you both!! Do you still have your own business?? When you get a moment (yeah, right!), catch me up, okay? NO RUSH, though ... just when the time is right.

LDK!!! Have you received your winner's book yet??? I sent it on the 30th, I believe, so you should have it by now ... and then you can read the scene in its entirety ... :)

Can't wait to see what you think!! And did you vote for your favorite Lessman hero over at Relz Review??? Today's the last day to do it and enter yourself into the contest, so check out my Journal Jots or calendar for the link, okay?

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